A tradition around here—of which I was unaware until my niece Emily’s first birthday, a little over three years ago—is to give the baby a slice of birthday cake (or, in Emily’s case, a whole baby-sized cake to herself) to do with as s/he will. It is, in principle, a horrifying spectacle, but when it’s your kid it’s actually pretty cute. (Also: props to Nate for being more fastidious than any of us thought possible.)